1. Technical Field
A vehicle occupant protection system that includes an inflatable member that is inflated by gas that is directed through the buckle and tongue of the seat belt latch mechanism.
2. Background Art
Seat belt harnesses are available that extend across the lap and torso of an occupant to hold an occupant within a vehicle in a collision. Lap and shoulder belts do not normally provide a cushion or a shield against impact. A seat belt when properly secured is generally effective to restrain an occupant during a collision. To reduce the likelihood or severity of contact by an occupant's body with a collapsing portion of the vehicle or an intruding vehicle, air bags have been developed that are deployed from various locations in the passenger compartment. Air bags may be deployed from the dashboard, roof rails, roof support beams, headliners, steering wheels, seats and other parts of a vehicle interior.
The area in front of an occupant of a vehicle is an important area to be protected by an air bag in the event of a collision. This area may be protected by a dashboard or a steering wheel mounted air bag. However, the large volume to be filled in this area necessitates the use of a larger air bag that takes more time to inflate.
Shoulder strap seat belt systems provide added assurance that the front torso is protected in a collision. Prior art inflatable lap or shoulder belts in general had large belts and bulky connectors that were required to provide clearance for inflation gas tubes, hoses and fittings. In some prior art systems, inflation gas sources use hot pyrotechnic inflation techniques that required the inflators are remotely located relative to the vehicle occupants. Such inflators are generally mounted in the vehicle structure to avoid contact with the hot inflator. Prior art inflatable seat belt systems, in some instances, had inflation gas sources that were mounted in the vehicle frame or pillar structure that necessitated providing elongated tubes, or conduits, to the seat belt structure.
These and other problems encountered by prior inflatable seat belt systems are addressed by Applicants' invention as summarized below.